Chapter 3

It was Itachi's turn to keep vigil while the other two rested. Although, whether or not there was anything to be vigilant about remained to be seen. They had been traveling on what was once a major roadway that connected various towns throughout Fire Country. Under normal circumstances, the paved road would have been frequented by a bustling, noisy, ant trail of people, horses, and caravans. Now, aside from his companions, Itachi had heard nothing the entire day but the eerie whistle of the wind blowing through the ruined landscape.

The stars glowed faintly overhead, but no longer with the brilliance he once remembered. His eyesight was getting worse. The Mangekyou Sharingan gave the user powerful techniques but in another life, Itachi wondered if he might have preferred a different ability if only to be able to see clearly.

But, those were wistful, foolish thoughts.

His eyes served his purposes just fine.

He would be interested to know whether or not the Byakugan had adverse effects. However, every clan had their secrets and Itachi doubted that the Hyuuga girl would allow him to investigate hers.

After dealing with her injuries, the Hyuuga had fallen again into an exhausted sleep. Itachi surmised that she was letting down her guard so easily as a result of necessity rather than trust. Not surprising really, considering that her stamina and physical strength could use more training. Nevertheless, he was pleased with the areas of her strengths. Her chakra control was better than average, impressive even, and her reflexes were fast.

More advantageous was her willingness to deviate from the traditional style of the Gentle Fist. It was something he could work with. In his past encounters with the Hyuuga, they had always stuck strictly to their techniques but her movements were fairly innovative in comparison. The technique was unpolished and obviously untried but with more practice and perhaps some guidance, it could give her formidable offensive and defensive capabilities.

How… unexpected, for her seal-less forehead marked her as part of the main house as surely as a seal separated those of the branch, which meant she must be the heiress. He would have thought the oppressive rule of the Hyuuga house and their obsession with tradition might have crushed someone so unorthodox and seemingly soft, lacking in whatever the Hyuuga thought constituted as perfection.

And judging from her earlier outburst—fanciful as well.

It was an amusing observation for her to unknowingly link Kisame to cannibalism in such a literal manner, especially when the man had previously threatened him with something along the same lines. He allowed an almost smile behind the cover of his high collared coat. He'd admit that she was exceptionally determined beneath her timid exterior. Not many had the will to stand up to Kisame and even fewer had the heart to keep standing in the face of Kisame's seemingly inexhaustible power.

He was… not dissatisfied that was she who remained of Konoha.

This had to be enough for now.

The journey was taking much longer than Hinata thought it would, having found out that their destination was somewhere by the Hidden Rain Village. The sun brightened the sky of the fourth day and yet they had only recently passed by the remains of a village that Itachi identified to have been the halfway point between Konoha and Amegakure.

The unfamiliar land had forced them to change directions from their originally northward path so many times that she would have been lost if the sun did not still travel from east to west. Though considering the circumstances, she would not have been surprised if the sun, too, decided to change its course. Her mental map of the world was thrown in disarray because all the major landmarks were gone and they were relying on clues in the surroundings to lead the way.

As they settled into the pace of another day of traveling, Hinata came to regret that her traveling partners were not the type to fill the silence with words. In the beginning, she was thankful that the silence allowed her to sort out her emotions, but now she had entirely too much time to herself to think. Her thoughts continually touched upon things that reminded her of her family, her teammates, and Konoha. Despite her efforts to focus on the situation at hand, she couldn't quite get over her embarrassing accusation to speak freely with her new companions.

Watching them, she came to a conclusion that the two Akatsuki men were unexpectedly more cordial and less intimidating than first impressions would indicate. Of course, they might have been too distracted trying to process what had happened to put any effort into terrorizing her, training aside. At the very least, they had not treated her like an enemy or captive and had even volunteered to teach her in exchange for her abilities.

Contrary to the image that he presented, Kisame was often times more bark than bite.

Not that his bite was anything to joke about. Even after healing, she could still feel the phantom pain from their earlier sparring session.

But it appeared that while he enjoyed fighting, he derived as much, if not more, enjoyment in provoking a reaction out of everyone around him when he did speak. His goading proved to be unsuccessful thus far. Itachi-san had yet to respond with Kisame's desired fight, and Hinata was in agreement about avoiding unnecessary conflict. She suspected that this was a typical occurrence and that each man had long since learned to deal with the other's quirks. In time, she could possibly find her place in their dynamic.

She tried not to draw parallels between Itachi-san, Kisame, and herself to the image of Kiba, Akamaru, and a chew-toy.

Her eyes trailed over to the other shinobi a few meters ahead of her. Itachi-san had remained distant and silent but for the occasional wry comment to Kisame and asking her about what she saw.

The former Konoha shinobi was unreadable, with a suppressed intensity that reminded Hinata of Sasuke-kun. She wondered if Itachi-san knew how much his brother resembled him. The younger Uchiha had changed significantly from the eager, bright child she had remembered from years prior. Ever since the massacre, he had withdrawn into himself, constantly brooding, much like Itachi-san right now. Although with Itachi, it was much more subtle, his thoughts carefully masked by a facade of unperturbed calm so favored in politics.

She wondered if he thought of Sasuke-kun, if Sasuke-kun was still alive. But, thinking of him only reminded Hinata of Naruto-kun, who had never been far from his teammate. The ever vibrant, loud, and hopeful Naruto-kun was like the shining sun she could rely on to never give up, to always rise again. She had not seen him in nearly three years, but she had faith that he must be alive. Alive and shouting about Sasuke-kun and his dreams to be Hokage and—

Brought her back to the village and people that she was not thinking about.

If only one of the men would talk to distract her.

Unfortunately, they had fallen into a lull of silence and her previous, pitiful attempts at conversation were fruitless to say the least.

When she worked up the nerve, and though she loathed to break the silence, she caught up to Itachi-san. "Why are we going to Amegakure?"

Itachi internally sighed, debating whether or not to answer her. He supposed that the silence had gone on long enough for his mind to have exhausted all possibilities several times over. Perhaps it was time to exchange theories, although he was unsure on how much of his suspicions to reveal to the others. There were too many unknown variables. Kisame probably had a few ideas of his own. However, knowing Kisame, the battle-oriented shinobi undoubtedly had already cast aside concern for everything but their current objective and finding the next fight. The Hyuga, perhaps, may offer a new perspective. And it was not as if she had anywhere to report the information he would divulge if they were to converse on this topic.

"We are going to Amegakure because it is where Akatsuki is based and where we might find some answers. Tell me, what do you know of the organization?"

The wide-eyed look she gave him was almost comical, as if disbelieving that he even answered her question, let alone posed another for her. He must have debated for longer than he thought.

Once she got over her surprise, she answered, "Not a lot, only what my— my clan had warned me about. The organization's name is Akatsuki and is comprised of S-class missing nin and highly dangerous. They are not currently after the Byakugan, but may be hired to do so. Recommended action is to avoid confrontation and report sightings to the Hokage unless capture is possible. Recognizable through signature red clouds and black clothing. They had told me that you had been rumored to have joined. Other details are classified information I didn't have access to."

"Hn." In other words, she knew nothing of importance. Basic, relevant knowledge then.

"There are many who are sympathetic to the organization's cause, but the core members of the Akatsuki are only ten in number," Itachi revealed."We generally travel in twos and rarely convene. In order to communicate, we have someone who allows us to link minds. Unfortunately, it appears we have lost communication, leading me to believe something has occurred at headquarters. This is… unusual… given our capabilities and the fortification of Akatsuki's defenses. I would like to go assess the situation."

There was no need to tell her that he wanted to keep a check on the other members. It was highly likely that some of them would return to headquarters, if only for the chance to commandeer certain projects for their own gain. More specifically, he wanted to keep an eye on the other Uchiha in Akatsuki. Such a man would not die so easily. Itachi had been distrustful of Tobi—Madara from the start, and he had long since suspected that the man had a hand in the project concerning the vessel holding the extracted tailed beasts. He would not be surprised if he had something to do with this... mess as well.

Their pace was unfavorably slow. However, given that Tobi and Deidara were last known to be in Kirigakure to capture the Three-tails, meant that Madara would also encounter similar obstacles if headed to Amegakure. Itachi hoped to make it there before any of the others.

If headquarters had indeed been ravaged by the blasts, the previously guarded scroll room may still be intact, given its location deep within the mountain range. Over the years, Akatsuki had acquired a large number of rare scrolls and he was fairly certain that Konan kept a record of Akatsuki business sealed away in a side chamber of the room. The fount of knowledge including specifics on Akatsuki's current dealings could even contain an explanation for recent events. There may even be information on Orochimaru's whereabouts and thus, Sasuke's whereabouts. It was worth looking into.

"Do you think there will be anything left?" Her voice broke through his thoughts.

Did he? "I don't know." There were so many unknown variables. If their surroundings were anything to go by—if nothing was left, where would they go after? Would they continue to wander around? Find people? Find Sasuke?

Fortunately, Kisame interrupted before he was forced to give voice to his thoughts.

"Curious, Nibbles? For all you know, we could be leading you to a giant pot, the better to cook you in."

The Hyuuga flushed two shades redder. She was very transparent, an unusual trait for a kunoichi. It was possible that she was exceptionally good at acting, but somehow—he watched as the line of her mouth twisted into an embarrassed, self-berating frown—he doubted it.

"I apologize for my earlier comment. I was over-thinking."

Kisame scowled. "Che—come now. Don't just apologize! What happened to all that aggression? I'm itching for a fight."

She was meekly turning an unhealthy shade of red and Itachi decided to intervene. "It will take too long to reach our destination if we stop for your every itch Kisame."

"Heh, you're turning into a verified mother hen Itachi-san. Deidara always thought there was something nagging about you."

Itachi narrowed his eyes at Kisame but took no action.

Kisame huffed in exasperation. "Fine. You're both no fun at all. I can wait."

It was becoming clear that Kisame was getting bored of their daily grind. This would not have been an issue but the unavoidable smell of blood on the wind was slowly driving Kisame's instincts into a frenzy.

Itachi hoped that they would find something to focus on soon before they came to blows.

They were well into their fifth day of traveling when she felt it.

Something was stalking them, ghosting at the edge of her senses and making the hair at the back of her neck prickle in warning. Hinata was familiar with the sensation of being stared at. It came with the territory of being the firstborn heiress to a clan. And though people had long since stopped their gossiping of her perceived failures, the weight of their disapproving gazes still lingered on her from time to time. She had long delegated the feeling to the back of her mind, a distant hum. However, this type of gaze was… different and had set off alarms labeled danger.

But she couldn't find the source and it couldn't have been her companions. No matter how many times she scanned the surroundings with Byakugan, the same lifeless wasteland greeted her.

And while the abnormal landscape was disquieting, the fact that they had not encountered another living person in their journey unnerved Hinata even more. They could not possibly be the only ones alive. All this distance covered and still there was no one stumbling around, no injured calling out for help, not even a flicker of life larger than beetles. It could be that this… spectator….was just cautious and would approach them later, but it bothered Hinata that she could not catch anyone other than her companions in her visual perimeters. And that… malicious feeling…

She wondered if she was going crazy or if they could feel it too. She was reluctant to ask. It wasn't until they were once again sitting around a fireplace that she realized that they had read her more easily than she thought.

"What is bothering you?"

Itachi's question from across the embers cut through her tired haze like a knife. Hesitance filled Hinata. She didn't want to reveal anything especially when she had no proof. However, from the way his eyes were looking at her, she didn't think he would take 'it's nothing' for an answer.

"I think there's something following us."

"Well why didn't you say so sooner, Nibbles? Planning on keeping all the fun to yourself?"

"No—I think there is something or someone following, but I don't…see anything."

Kisame's eyebrows rose though Itachi's expression didn't change as he demanded, "Explain."

"I-I can't prove it. It's just a feeling."

The following scrutiny of her from both men suddenly made the dirt ground terribly interesting.

She was startled by Itachi's sudden appearance in front of her.

"Look at me."

Well, when he put it that way, she could forget that looking into his eyes could subject her to their illusionary, mind-bending properties. Sarcasm. Her sister would be proud.

And her thoughts had strayed again.

She flinched when he reached to tilt her face up.

"Or over my shoulder if it makes you more at ease. I will not harm you."

Her cheeks warmed. So he had noticed that she'd been avoiding direct focus in the direction of his face. In hindsight, her behavior was terribly rude and uncharacteristic. So Hinata forced herself to look at him.

And immediately dropped her gaze back to his shoulder.

It didn't help her facial color to note that he was close—closer than anyone had been to her face in sometime and was studying her features intently. A small, silly part of her admitted that many girls would say that he was quite attractive.

Stop it, Hinata.

Now was not the time to be thinking such things. She attributed her thoughts to the madness of the situation, and resolved to remedy them when her mind stopped insisting that she impersonate tomatoes, fishes, and various other food items.

It was then she noticed that while she'd been avidly trying to concentrate on the lovely pattern of his coat and thinking non-food thoughts, Itachi-san had been diagnosing her eyes.

"Will you activate your eyes for me?"

Right. She really should be paying attention. Neji-niisan would scold her to focus.

"Hn. Although I am unfamiliar with the chakra patterns used by Byakugan, there does not seem to be anything amiss with your sight," he said as he removed his glowing fingers away from her face. "Unless there is something different about the physiology of Byakugan eyes in comparison to others?"

She realized, with a jolt, that she had believed him when he said he would not harm her. "No." Should she really be so trusting? He didn't seem the type to lie.

"For now, we will stay alert, though I doubt we'd see anything before you do. If something should turn up, we will deal with it accordingly."

Kisame stood. "Hmph. I'll go look around. If I find anything, they're my prey. Do not interfere." He shot them both a look before heading off.

"Hn."

As silence returned once more, she decided to leave her thoughts and rest while she had the chance. After settling under a blanket, she remembered to say, "Thank you, Itachi-san."

He blinked at her, as if leagues away.

"You are welcome."

Itachi briefly wondered if he, too, should circle around the perimeter of their camp to see if there was validity to the Hyuuga's concerns. Kisame, though an efficient hunter, often times missed the details. He quickly discarded the notion, for it would seem too much like a parent allaying the fears of children frightful of monsters in the closet. Kisame would accuse him of being a mother hen again.

A ridiculous notion.

But such things were best ignored. If he reacted, there would be no end to the name-calling.

Returning to the issue that Hinata brought up—the range of her senses was much farther than his or Kisame's and while they had not noticed any activity, perhaps there was cause for concern. However, he could sense no presence other than theirs. Whether that was a comforting thought or not remained a question he refused to think on.

No matter.

They would deal with whatever came their way.

"Are you sure we're heading in the right direction?"

"Yes."

"Well this sure as hell doesn't look like Iwarashi."

"It was."

They came to a small town that was partially intact. Itachi reached down to uncover a sign that indicated that it was indeed the village the two men occasionally stayed in en route to the headquarters.

"Someone's been busy," Kisame commented as they searched through it, revealing it to be another body-less ruin. The metallic scent of blood hung thick in the air, but the source of it was difficult to pinpoint.

"Hn."

It was another curious thing. They had found no living person since the girl and after the third day, they had even ceased to find the dead. The bodies were scarce given the scale of destruction. That is to say the farther they went, the more rubble they passed, the less evidence there was that there were previously inhabitants in the villages at all. He would have suspected all the people had fled before the destruction but for the bloodstains on the ground and surroundings.

They located the town's water tower and climbed to the top. He noted that at the base of it, a pool of dark red, congealed fluid remained. It was too much for the person it came from to not be dead.

Itachi glanced at Hinata, mind awhirl of the possibilities for this phenomenon. Considering.

Perhaps her instincts had proven correct and there was someone trailing them. Perhaps this stalker had answers for the missing bodies and was merely keeping away for caution. Another possibility could be that this stalker was the cause of the disappearing acts.

"There must be someone else alive if the corpses are being disposed of," he said as he checked the water for impurities and refilled their water bags.

Kisame mouth split into a grin, pointed teeth flashing. "Goody."

Hinata looked over the town, checking specifically for chakra signs. "It was probably done days before we reached here and whoever did it is long gone."

"Are there developments on this… sense of yours?"

She shook her head. "I can still feel someone watching from time to time but… I can see no others, unless they are hiding behind a barrier capable of blocking my eyes."

The following search through the town turned up plenty of supplies and blood but no bodies and no further clues.

So they pressed on.

Later that day, they came across a great divide, a bottomless canyon that split the land in two. Even with the sun directly overhead, the bottom of the canyon laid in shadows.

Hinata stared into the gaping abyss. "It's very deep."

"The land must have been predisposed to such a weakness and the blasts triggered a fault line."

"The headquarters is suppose to be on the other side?" she asked.

"Yes, about a day's travel. Unfortunately, we will have to go around. I'm not certain how far we will have to go."

Kisame cursed. "What about those birds of yours? Can't you have them carry us over?"

"…I cannot guarantee that they will be able to sustain us the entire way across."

"Pity."

Hinata traced the canyon with her eyes, trying not to be discomfited when she felt the dangerous gaze again.

"The width of the canyon appears to decrease if we head further north, but it extends past my range of sight."

Suddenly, a nauseating, sulfuric stench of rot and decay was the only warning they received before a massive blur of something appeared out of nowhere and came at them from behind, forcing them in the only direction possible.

Hinata muffled her terror as they were sent careening down into the canyon.